Guiding Prayers
by veronica.toon.7
Summary: LK AU: What if Sarabi had come with Nala to the oasis? Upon reuniting with her previously thought-deceased soon, she soon learns of his traumatic past. What will come because of it?
1. Reunion

**Chapter 1: Reunion**

 **Time for another Lion King what-if! What if Sarabi had joined Nala in her escape from the Shadowlands? What would it be like if Simba reunited with his childhood friend and his mother in the jungle? The name of the story is reference to a verse in the song "Shadowlands" from the original script and Broadway score.**

 **I own nothing. The Lion King and all its content belong to Disney. I don't own the cover image either. It's called "Don't cry, Simba" and it is done by Sauri Elan on Reddit.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

"Simba," a young lioness asked as she stared at the grinning golden male. His sunset red mane shook a bit as he nodded in response. It took only a moment before her teal eyes widened in recognition and her face broke out into a wide grin. Instantly both were talking with one another, butting heads and reconnecting with one another after years of separation. The two laughed as they circled each other and took in the sight of one another after all the years, the last time them seeing each other as cubs.

Though as they were talking and questioning each other, neither realized that a tan meerkat with a red hair tuft on his head had come between them by their paws. Not until he yelled, "Hey! What goin' on here?!"

Both pairs of eyes turned to him and Simba was first to respond. "Timon, this is Nala. She's my best friend!"

Said meerkat just stared flabbergasted at him and his mouth fell ajar. "Friend?!"

"Yeah. Hey, Pumbaa! Come over here." A red warthog pulled himself free of a root where he had gotten his head and shoulders trapped underneath. He grunted in surprise before turning around and coming over to the three of them.

"Nala, this is Pumbaa. Pumbaa, Nala," Simba explained. The warthog smiled pleasantly at the young lioness.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," he said politely. She smiled, a bit glad that he held no grudge against her apparently.

"The pleasure's all mine," Nala replied.

"Whoa! Whoa," the meerkat said as he came between the two. "Time out. Let me get this straight. You know her. She knows you. But she wants to eat him. And, everybody's okay with this?" The three flinched as he abruptly rose his voice as he released his irritation. "Did I miss something!"

"Relax, Timon," he quickly said, placing a paw before the meerkat to calm him down as he panted.

"Wait 'til everybody finds out you've been here all this time. And your mother…," her eyes then widened for a moment as she realized something, "Your mother! She's here! She came with me! What will she think when she find out you've been alive and here all this time?"

"Wait...," he said suddenly, causing her shocked conversation with herself to end and drew her attention to him, "my mother's here," he asked softly. His eyes seemed to go blurry and his head was dipped down slightly, but in her excited state, Nala didn't notice.

"Yeah. Your mother is here. She came along with me. You have to go see her Simba. She'll be more then surprised to see you here." Her eyes shifted around, looking all over the place for the direction she might been.

"She doesn't have to know," he quickly interjected, causing her to stare shocked at him. "No one has to know." She noted how his face had quickly changed from the state it had been a minute ago to the saddened, almost guilty appearing expression. She slowly came up to him and stared into his eyes.

"Simba, she's your mother. She's been believing that you are dead all these years, after Scar told us you and Mufasa had been lost in the stampede." She nearly stopped when she saw him flinch, but seeing as he made no movement to speak, she continued. "Seeing you here and discovering after all these years you were alive will give her something to hope for again."

Her eyes dipped to the ground and her toes brushed the sandy ground as she added softly, "It will give all of us something to hope for."

His head was tipped down at the same angle hers was, but it was so that she couldn't see the pain on his face. His whole chest felt like it was collapsing on itself. She was here. She and his mother were here. His heart throbbed with past pains coming up to haunt him again. How would he tell his mother? How could he even look at his mother? How could he even go to meet his mother again after all these years?

What would she think of him now?

"Alright. I'll come with you to see my mother," he replied after a moment. Her head jerked up and she held a gaze for a second before her face broke out into a wide grin.

"You will? Awesome! Come on, I'll take you to her," she enthusiastically said. He nodded and walked a soft pace after her energetic bounding form. Timon got onto Pumbaa and the two followed after them, eager to see how this would turn out.

* * *

"Sarabi," Nala tentatively called out into the lush, jungle foliage. Timon huddled close to Pumbaa as they walked alongside Simba, afraid that there would be a repeat of last time with their Simba's maternal parent.

"Yes, Nala," came a smooth gentle voice and melting out of the shrubs came forth a medium brown lioness with gentle red eyes. The corners of her mouth quirked up into a smile as her eyes landed on Nala, but then widened as they came onto the lion standing beside her. Simba's mouth opened slightly as he gasped at his mother. She was older then when she had last seen her. She had a few wrinkles and she looked rather frail but she was still as beautiful as he remembered her.

She came up to them, never taking her eyes off of him. "Mufasa," she asked tentatively, her voice just above a whisper in a mixture of awe and disbelief. He nearly flinched at the mention of his father's name, but shook his head and offered a small smile.

"No. Mom, it's me," he said softly. Sarabi stared straight at him, eyes widened in amazement and shock. Then without saying anything, she walked over to him, extended her forelegs and wrapped them tightly around his neck, pulling him close. Her head came to rest of his maned shoulder as she embraced her son for the first time in years.

"Simba. You're alive? How can this be," she asked, letting hot tears of joy drop onto his mane. His own forelegs wrapped around her shoulders as he held her close, allowing himself to absorb her after years of being apart.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here, mom," he replied quietly, "I'm here."

* * *

"I tell ya, Timon. Just seeing Simba with his mother chokes me up," Pumbaa said as he and the meerkat watched the two from behind a bush a few feet away.

"Yeah, it sure does," Timon replied, before looking down slightly. "Guess our time raising him is over," he added sadly. Pumbaa's eyes looked over at Timon before softening as he realized it was true.

"Ahem," came a voice from behind and the two turned around to see Nala behind them. "Hey, do you think you could give the two some time to be alone," Nala asked, finishing with a smile. Pumbaa and Timon looked at her, then to each other before nodding.

"Sure. We understand," Pumbaa replied first.

"Yeah, looks like he could really use some alone time to catch up with his mommy," Timon added. Nala nodded and the three began to walk away from the two.

* * *

"Son, how did you survive the stampede? Scar told us about it in the gorge and how it had taken the life of you and your father, or so what we thought at the time," Sarabi asked the second the separated. Simba looked shocked at the question, but tried to keep a calm expression.

"Really? What else did he say," Simba asked nervousness creeping into his voice. Her eyes softened in concern for him, but she went on.

"Only that he had seen you perish along with your father in the stampede," her eyes looked down at that, "however, we never did find your body," she mentioned a bit quieter. Her eyes lit up again and she gave a soft smile as she turned back up again, "But apparently he was wrong since you are here."

Her eyes looked so hopeful at him, shedding warm light over his heart. He longed to bask in that light, but his heart ached with the knowledge and pain of the past where now he felt as if he could not accept this kindness shed on him. Hs head turned away to the side, avoiding meeting those kind, warm eyes.

"Yeah... well I'm not the same lion that I used to be," he replied. He started to turn around and walk the other way, but she joined in stride with him.

"But you're alive. And that means you are the king and that you can take over from Scar's reign," Sarabi pressed, looking hopefully at her son. Simba halted and look hard at his mother. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the almost anguished look in his eyes and she felt concern flood through her veins.

"Son," she asked. Her paw daintily lifted up to press onto his face, but she had barely grazed his fur when he moved his head away from her and continued walking.

"I can't go back," he replied suddenly. She gasped silently before rushing up towards him again.

"What? Why not," she asked, pressing to make him look at her.

"I just can't," he replied, trying to speed up his gait and get away from her. However, after living after the death of her mate, surviving through Scar's reign and having the courage to escape with Nala to find help, Sarabi was obviously not one who would back down. Simba had to stop abruptly as she suddenly charged forward and stood stoically before him, staring him down sternly.

"Son," she replied firmly, "I have spent this many years under the deteriorating rule of your uncle. I have survived living through constant barking to hunt where there is no food. To search for herds and water with barely any energy left in my muscles. What's more, the Pridelands are suffering because of his greed and neglection of the Circle of Life. So don't think for a minute here that after all these years, searching for a hope to save our homeland and finding you, that I'm not going to let you get away with walking away from this conversation.

"I can see it in your eyes, son. I can see within them that you're hiding something. You're hiding something that clearly has been hurting and haunting you for the longest of time. Now I just want you to know that I am your mother and I am more then willing to sit down and listen to what you have to say, but you have to be willing to talk to me about it. Otherwise, I will just sit here and I won't let you pass until you do talk."

Simba stared up stunned at his mother, asserting her dominance as his parent and placing him in a tough decision. To hear someone talk for firm, so unmoving at him, for the first time in years, it- it was astounding, world-shaking for him. To her shock, she began to blink rapidly and his eyes got shiny all of a sudden. She felt a wave of motherly worry come over her and she tried to meet his eyes which were now dipped towards the floor.

"Son?"

"I was there," he whispered quickly. Her eyes widened slightly as she continued trying to make eye contact at him.

"Wha-?"

"I was there!" His eyes looked up face her, wild with a bright energy that nearly sent her tumbling back at the sight.

"Was where," she asked loudly, her tone pleading with him. His eyes focused on her and she could see the turmoil swirling inside their depths.

"The gorge! The gorge where and when dad's death happened. I-I, it was all my fault! I'm the one that was in the canyon when it happened! I'm the one who roared and spooked the wildebeest to stampede! I'm the one that lived while dad died trying to save me! It's all my fault he's gone! It's all my fault he's dead now!"

He flung up his head and roared in anguish before collapsing right before her in a heap of shudders. The once stoic queen looked stunned at her once proud son. In that moment, she no longer saw the son she once knew. The proud and boastful, but all around well-meaning cub that looked up to his father and absorbed every bit of kingly knowledge from him was no longer there. Instead, an almost grown, broken down and obviously hurting lion sobbed before her feet. She realized the emotion she saw in his eyes wasn't laziness or stubbornness. It was pain. Pain that had remained dormant until now and had come up again to inflict more suffering over him.

It was well into the night when he had finally begun to calm down. She held onto him in that time never once letting him go as he cried out and apologized constantly. His sorry's came out in a blubbering stream, a never ending mantra until he had choked on his saliva and emotions. Her hold on him never wavered, even as the sun set behind the trees and the twilight came stealing in.

She would hold onto him until he calmed down and was ready to preach out the horrible truth he had held in his heart all these years. And, with a listening ears and a comforting tongue, she would help him lose his pain.

* * *

 **Simba was a naive, impressionable cub when his uncle tricked him into believing that he had murdered his own father, giving him throughout the years a lie along with the guilt of the situation and the trauma of the event. He had been living for years in the jungle under the poisoned words of Hakuna Matata, never once taking thought into all the responsibilities of being king and going back and the lessons his father had taught him.**

 **It was only by the help of his childhood friend, a monkey shaman and the ghost of his father, who probably should've appeared before Simba years before, to convince him to go back and confront his past. However, one there his evil uncle torments him with his past when before Simba was told and shown to let it go. This is a part of the film that really annoys me since it turns hypocritical from letting go of the past to 'oh, it matters and you can't let go of it because it's too important and it defines exactly what you are. A murderer.'**

 **I'll continue this story till we reach that part and hopefully under the tender and understanding ear of his mother, Simba will move past his past for real and face Scar without letting him get to his weakest point. Please leave a review if you liked this chapter and** **I hope I will see you for the next chapter. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	2. Frightened

**Chapter 2: Frightened**

 **So last chapter Simba reunited with his childhood friend and mother. Now let's see him explain his broken past to her.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

After allowing him to catch his breath, she allowed him to recall his tale of the gorge from his perspective.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as spoke. "I was just a cub when Scar had taken me down to the gorge to wait for my dad. Scar said he had a marvelous surprise for me."

"Wait, son," she interrupted, "the gorge? Why would your father want you to wait in the gorge for a surprise for you? Truly he would have spoken to me about, yet I don't recall having any knowledge about it during the time. And you said Scar brought you down there?"

He simply blinked and shook his head.

"I-I don't know, mom. All I know that he told me to wait in the gorge while he left to get fad. All of a sudden, the ground started shaking and I turned up to see a herd of wildebeest running into the gorge, straight towards me. I started running for my life and I..."

"Hold on, son. How did a herd of wildebeest start running into the gorge," she inquired.

"Well, Scar told me to practice my roaring and my roar must have caused them to become spooked and stampede," he replied. She simply shook her head.

"I don't believe that's the case. Wildebeest are easily spooked, but a cub's roar, even echoing in the gorge, wouldn't have been enough for them to start running. Something else outside the canyon must have frightened them."

She noted how he looked stunned at her explanation. His eyes blinked rapidly as he tried to process the information.

"A-anyways, the stampede kept heading toward me. I ran before I climbed up a tree to escape them. Dad soon appeared over the edge of the gorge with Scar."

"And how did he know about the stampede in the gorge?" His jaw began quivering as he tried to recall the events.

"W-well, it m-must have something to do with Scar. He... learned from him when Scar went to come get him for the surprise, er something."

"Mm hmm, and right after he left, Scar immediately knew about the stampede and went to go get your father," she mused. "And this all brings up the question, if the stampede happened and Scar had brought you into the gorge, then why didn't he go in directly to rescue you? Surely going to get your father would've have wasted time and put you less at chance to being rescued."

"Well... maybe Scar was already halfway to see dad... and... he noticed the stampede and went to go get dad," he offered.

"Wouldn't have your father have seen it too and would've started going to the gorge when he first noticed it? He was after all heading to the gorge to show you the surprise that Scar said he had for you." Getting no response, she added on, "Son, since we're clearly not getting anywhere with this right now, let's move along with the rest of your story."

He let out a shaky breath and nodded. "O-okay. The tree branch I was on was starting to break and that's when dad dove into the stampede to rescue me. It finally did and dad caught me before getting me to the side of the gorge, out of the stampede.

It was then he fell back in. I thought the wildebeest had trampled him till he jumped out and began clawing up the side of the cliff some feet away from me. I climbed up the cliff to watch him climb out when I saw that Scar was right above him on a ledge."

He let out another breath and bowed his head, making her look in concern at him.

"Simba," she asked, extending her paw to touch his face. She quickly retracted it when he threw his head up again, tears threatening to spill down his face once more.

"D-dad tried to reach out to him and I-I s-saw S-S-Scar grasp his paws, but-"

His head fell into his forelegs and he began weeping. She crawled closer to him, wrapping her forelegs around him and placing her neck over his to comfort him.

She then heard him whisper, "Dad fell."

"What," she asked back in a loud whisper.

"He fell!" His head lifted up to the sky, tears falling in rivers down from his eyes. "I saw dad slip out of his paws and into the stampede." Hids head dipped down in deep sorrow, his voice filled with anguish. "

"After the herd had passed through, I went down to look for him. I c-called out his name and searched through the dust, but I didn't hear anything but footsteps from a wildebeest that had fallen behind the rest of herd. I saw it head into the direction the herd had went and... and...," his voice grew very quiet, "I saw dad's body."

"Oh baby!"

Both lions latched onto one another as grief previously pushed back rose up again and swept through their entire bodies. He wept openly into her chest, taking as much needed comfort from his mother's warmth and tenderness. She dipped her nose into her mane, blowing her warmth breath into his fur and shedding tears along with him. At this very moment, nothing else mattered then comforting her frightened and grief-racked son.

Her eyes shot open and ears twitched as she heard him mumbling between sobs.

"It's m-my fault. It's all... might fault. I'm the one to blame. I killed my father!"

"Simba!"

"I killed my father," he suddenly screamed, pushing away from her. "I killed him! If I hadn't been in the gorge, he wouldn't have died trying to save me from the-"

As queen of pride rock, she had had many years of experience dealing with hard situations. She had gained the wisdoms of how to get through difficult ordeals and do so through being gentle and tender, yet firm and strong. Keeping a cool head in the hardest of times was possibly the greatest attribute she had gained through the years. Rarely were the times she actually lost her temper at someone.

But now as her son looked frightfully up at her, a paw over his cheek which was already reddening, did she actually lose her serene and tranquil facade. Her paw hooked over his jaw, clenching it and forcing him to look directly up at her.

"Listen son. From what you've told me I see no part in what happened that directly makes you responsible for your father's death. The events were paced in which you were a victim of them and you by no means had any control over them, making everything that did happen not of your own." She took several heavy breaths before adding on, "If anything, your uncle's to blame for bringing you down into the canyon, not being there to save you from the stampede, _and_ for not helping your father up out of the gorge. A position he wouldn't have been in if he hadn't brought you or him to the gorge in the first place!"

Both lions just stared at each other in silence, just breathing heavily. Finally Sarabi let go of her son's chin and he bowed his head.

"S-so," he choked out, "all this time I've been here, all these years, I've just been blaming myself for something I was not responsible for. Blaming myself for dad's death which I had no part in doing so."

His eyes shut close as he felt his mother grasp his chin once more, this time more gently as he tipped his focus up to her.

"Would a murderer really shed tears for his father's death?"

He embraced his mother, sobs renewed. She held onto him, remaining strong to he could fall onto her. She began murmuring words of comfort into his ear as she slowly began swaying, rocking his softly, left to right.

"You're innocent, baby. Your father's death wasn't caused by you, or anyone. It was all just an unfortunate turn of events." Her paw went down to stroke his back softly. "Shhh. It's alright, son. Just let it all out. Shh."

"I just wish he wasn't dead," he choked out, "he shouldn't have died. I-I can't help but feel r-responsible for his-"

"But you're not. It wasn't your fault. It was never your fault. Don't ever believe that anymore for a second that it was."

He sniffed, letting his head fall down upon his shoulder. "B-but I thought... S-Scar told me that it was..."

He felt her stiffened against him and she pulled away, looking his directly in the eyes.

"He told you what?" He winced at her tone. It was calm right now, but the tiniest bits of seething rage had begun to ebb from behind the thin, cracking wall.

"Scar told me that I-I was responsible for dad's death and... then told me what you would think before he told me to..." His eyes widened in shock as he repeated the exact same words told to him.

 _"Run away and never return."_

The oasis was quiet, with only the sounds of the waterfalls roaring in the distance and birds chirping in the canopy. In the midst of it all were two lions, one staring stunned with revelation while the other shook with rage.

"He. Said. What," she roared, snapping him out of his daze. "Your uncle told you, when your father died, that it was your fault and then to run away and to never return home?!"

He shied back as his mother snarled, revealing her sharp fangs. Her red eyes had become fiery with rage and her claws had become exposed. He began shivering in fear as she seemed to calm down and walked closer to him.

"Son,I see now why you thought you were responsible your your father's death. But let me make one thing very clear right now," she took a deep breath and shut her eyes before they opened and narrowed with unbridled rage, "what your uncle did was inexcusable. It is no more than an act of treason under every law the Pridelands abide under. He should had never told you those things. You were just a cub at the time, still not mature enough to handle what had just happened, but to tell you that you were to blame for this..."

Her head bowed as she continued. "What he did was truly despicable and goes against everything the pride stands for." Her head turned up again. "Son, your uncle lead you into the gorge, neglected to run back and help you when the stampede happened, failed to pull your father out, and then," she began growling, "had the nerve to pin the blame on you for his death. It all makes sense now."

"Mom," he whispered out, "what are you saying?"

"What am I saying? Son, I believe the true cause of your father's death lies in the paws of your uncle. The one that now rules like a tyrant over the dying Pridelands and drawing nothing but pain and suffering over it's remaining inhabitants."

She leaned closer and gently began stroking his cheek. "I grew up with your father and uncle. I knew when your father was told he was going to become king someday that your uncle was furious. We all knew he had wanted to become king, and his bitterness only grew as we grew older. By the time you were born though, we had thought gotten over it and was just then a moody, lazy, insignificant lion just being supported by the pride and nothing else." She stopped stroking it.

"Son, didn't you realize that while you were talking that your uncle's name seemed to pop up at every major part. How he was responsible for bringing you into the gorge, how he was the one who left you to bring your father, even after the stampede had already begun. He didn't save your father, even, as you mentioned, he had grabbed onto his paws and was trying to pull him out. And he, most of all, was the one who told you to run away and never return, placing fear into you of what would happen if you did and came before everyone else."

"M-mom," he gasped out. Her paw cupped the side of his face and she stared sternly at him.

"Son, it's clear now that your father's and your attempted death was all a plan by Scar to seize the throne."

Simba could only stand there stunned, mouth gaping as the events of the stampede rushed through his find in a maelstrom of pain and anguish. He was looking down, watching his father struggle to climb up the cliff. Scar was right above him on a ledge, looking down at him. His father yelled up to him, reaching out and begging to him to pull him up. His uncle finally lunged forward to grasp onto his father's paws. He didn't realize it then, but he saw the distinct black of his claws come out and dig into the paws.

His father let out a roar, of pain, but not from supporting himself up. His uncle leaned in near to his face. The paws suddenly lifted up, releasing both Scar's and Mufasa's. With nothing to hold onto, he fell down, falling down into the stampede below. His father's screams and his own mingled together as he witnessed it all.

He let go.

He let go on purpose.

He let his father fall on purpose.

He purposefully _killed_ his father.

He murdered his father.

He had seen it all, screaming out to his father as he cried out one last time.

 _"Nooooooo!"_

"Nooooooooooo!"

His reared up onto his back legs before slamming his front paws onto the dirt, loosening it up.

"Murderer," he growled.

"And he had had fooled the whole time."

Their heads swiveled to the bushes nearby where out stepped Nala, followed also by Timon and Pumbaa. Nala bowed her head before the two royals before straightening up, revealing her tear-glistening eyes.

"Simba, I-I know I shouldn't have eavesdropped," she paused, "but I needed to know. And I am so sorry."

She came closer to embrace him, shedding her own tears into his mane. Timon and Pumbaa came up next, each looking very sorrowful.

"Simba, buddy, when we first took ya in, we probably should've kept asking you where you were from, instead of-"

"Instead of not listening to you and talking you through it," Pumbaa added. "And we're really sorry for that."

"Yeah, really are. Can ya ever forgive us, buddy?" Simba smiled and gently poked Timon in the chest and Pumbaa in his shoulder.

"I've already have you guys."

After Nala pulled off him, he turned and faced his mother, standing proud and straight before her.

"Mother, I'm going back to fight Scar. I'm going to take back the Pridelands from him." The expression on her and Nala's faced were elated and they rushed over to him to embrace him. Nala held him tightly, enjoying the soft feeling of his mane against her face. After being in a land of suffering and harshness for so long, having this soft comfort and the hope for change was reliving. Once they pulled away, Simba could see that both had tears of joy falling from their eyes.

"Son, thank you," Sarabi said.

"Yes, you don't know how much this means to us," Nala added. Simba smiled and gently pressed his foreheads against there's. He then felt a tugging at his tail and turned to see Timon and Pumbaa looking up at him.

"Simba, I know you've lived with us for quite some time now and we've always been Hakuna Matata and all that," Timon explained, "but if going back to the Pridelands to fight your uncle means that much to you, then count us in."

"We're with you till the end," Pumbaa agreed. Simba smiled and nodded thankfully at them. He then turned back to his mother and friend.

"Let's plan to go tomorrow. It's been an exhausting day and we should at least get some food and a good night's rest before returning back," he suggested. The two nodded and started following after him and the rest, the latter of which was excited at the prospect of guests over for dinner.

* * *

 **Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading this and the previous one and for reviewing it as well, it means a lot to me. I'll have the next chapter out soon. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	3. Remember

**Chapter 3: Remember**

 **I'd like to thank reviewer 'Faith' for giving me an idea for this chapter, as well as proposing a very good question. Well 'Faith', here's your answer, hope you enjoy. And thank you all for the reviews, it means a lot to me.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

The stars glittered like diamonds against the dark velvet sky. The soft breezes in the air wafted through the trees and grasses, bringing in the sweet scent of growth and moisture. For every creature of the day, this was the serene, tranquil night where they hoped to gain the most out of so that the next day they would emerge refreshed and well-rested.

In one such part of the oasis, Simba stirred. He had been dealing with anxiety for most of the night, worrying profusely of what would happen tomorrow. The events that unfolded years ago, the revelations he had earlier tonight, and the looming threat out on the horizon set his brain into turmoil. No matter how hard he tried to clear his mind, sleep would not come. He was all but left now with laying on his bed of grass and leaves, staring out into the darkness while his companion blissfully slept close by.

After some time blinking out into space, his eyes began to succumb to the pull of sleep. A yawn escaped his mouth and he laced his head own into his paws, preparing to finally get some rest.

He cringed as a the snapping of twigs nearby reached his ears. Groggily he stared up with bleary eyes, trying to distinguish what had caused it. He became more aware once he recognized the familiar brown pelt of his mother while she walked nearby.

"Mom," he asked. Not receiving an answer, he called out again, louder, "Mom!"

He stared confusedly as she seemed to ignore his voice and simply disappear into the bush. Slightly bewildered by his mother's strange behavior, he slowly got up to follow after her. He stopped suddenly, staring behind him at the slumbering lioness. With Timon and Pumbaa nearby, he knew she wouldn't be too disoriented if she woke up and discovered he wasn't there. Leaning his head close and giving a gentle lick to her head, he turned around and trotted off into the foliage.

He soon found himself in an open field, following her behind a few paces. Her walk was quiet and almost rhythmic, as if someone was guiding her through the grass. The evening breeze brushed against him, as if pushing him after her.

Eventually, she came to a cluster of trees and entered it. As he came to the first trunks, he peered in one of the holes she had entered in. It was dark, the only light coming from the moonlight through the canopy. He barely caught the swish of her tail as she kept trekking deeper into the packed foliage.

"Mom," he said, partially out of annoyance at the prospect of coming in after her.

As he ducked under the roots to entered, he realized it wasn't just the trunks of the trees packed together that made it difficult to follow, but the roots prodding up from the earth, the low branches and hanging vines and mosses also acted as obstacles in his way. He soon found that he had lost sight of her and began running through, dodging, jumping, and ducking under each and every obstacle as best he could.

He came to a sliding halt as he picked up something in his eye. Up ahead, where the trees seemed to open up, he could see a flickering, aqua glow. He began walking towards it slowly. He discovered that several tall grasses were growing by the riverbank and over them he could see the head of a lioness. Moving back the grasses, he started to walk down by the bank. A mist rose up from the waters, giving the area a mysterious and hidden feeling.

He stopped a few feet before a small rock ledge looking out onto the stream where a brown lioness sat, staring into the watery depths.

"Mom," he whispered out to her, daring not to move any further until he had received an answer from her.

She remained silent, but she did lift her head up at the sound of his voice. Slowly, she stood up and turned around before walking towards him. Her eyes had an almost glazed look over them, causing hairs to stand up on his back. Stopping before him, her paw gently pressed against his face, making him flinch at first, but gradually leaning into her warm touch. She gave a small smile as she rubbed the side of his face. Her head then bowed down and a sniff escaped her throat.

"You look so much like him," she whispered. She slowly looked back up at him, a small smile on her face and unshed tears in her eyes. "If only your father could see you now."

He returned the sad smile before gently pressing his head against hers, rubbing against it gently while giving a comforting purr. She accepted it, allowing herself to feel the love from her son that she had almost forgotten over the years.

As he pressed close to her, the light reflecting off the water caught his eye. The rippling water cast flickers across the smooth stone ground and grasses by the banks. Suddenly feeling compelled, he slowly separated from his mother and came over to the edge. Now standing where his mother had been, he lowered himself down and peered into the glassy, reflected surface. A lion stared back, and he narrowed his eyes and let out a sigh at it.

"Son?"

"You know when I was young, when I grew up all I ever wanted was to be just like him." He glared at his reflection and swatted at the water, causing it to ripple. "I don't see any part of me that's like him."

"No, son," she came up to his side and motioned with her paw onto the water, "look harder. Truly look at yourself."

Simba leaned out and once again looked at his reflection, distorted now by the ripples. Still, he stared as his mother spoke.

"You're not your father, that's true. You're your own lion, yet you have inherited a great many things from him. For ever though he is long gone now-"

He stared harder as the ripples began to settle down.

"-your father-"

The face of a lion began to come clear, but his eyes widened as it began to shift.

"-lives in you."

A sad expression graced his face as it was no longer his reflection that he was staring at, but instead the face of Mufasa, eyebrows narrowed and a frown on his face as he stared right back at him.

 _"Simba."_

He realized that it was not the voice of his mother and that the light from the pond had disappeared, leaving only the dark of night from above. Slowly standing up, he began looking up towards the sky. The wind began blowing clouds across the stars, strongly billowing forward. His mother joined right by his side, looking up to where he was seeing.

"Mufasa?"

As the clouds grew, a space void of cloud grew within in the silhouette of a large lion. The stars twinkled out from behind the shape as it appeared to walk forward and finally stop right before them. Mists started to gather in front of the void, adding inside details to the face and form of an ethereal lion who looked down towards his family.

 _"Simba, you have forgotten me."_

Sarabi gasped as she gazed up at her deceased mate, tears already starting to fall from her eyes. Even long gone and up with the Great Kings of the Past, she could still recognize him by his face and voice. From beside her, her son called out to him.

"No. How could I?"

 _"You have forgotten who you are and so forgotten me,"_ the spirit replied. _"Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more then what you have become."_ He narrowed his eyes at him. _"You must take your place in the Circle of Life."_

"I know, but I-I," he stuttered out, "what will happen when I return? I ran away from it for so long, I-I'm so afraid." He looked guilty at his newly revealed feelings, before calling out louder to him, "how can I just go back? I'm not who used to be."

 _"Remember who you are."_

The clouds swirled around his face and the light streamed out from them, bringing forth his true colors in all his power and glory.

 _"You are my son. And the one true king."_

His direction then moved towards her and his eyes softened as he stared sadly down at her.

 _"Sarabi, take our son back to the Pridelands. Take him back and stand by him. Teach him more of his place in the Circle of Life and help restore the balance once more."_

"I will," she choked out, tears falling in streams down her face. Her mate gave a faint smile towards her before turning back to their son.

 _"Simba. Remember, who you are."_

They watched in despair as his face began to fade back and the light was becoming replaced by the night sky once more. The winds began blowing back the clouds, leaving his voice echoing over the savanna. Simba began running out, trying to catch up and stop his father from leaving.

"No! Please, don't leave me," he called out, breaking out into a futile sprint.

 _"Remember."_

"Father!"

 _"Remember."_

"Don't leave me!"

 _"Remember."_

He now stood upon the hill, listening to the rumbling clouds fade and the blackened sky turn back to starry, dark blue. The evening breeze was all that was left of the spiritual encounter with the great king of the past. As he stared out into the night sky, she came towards him and placed a paw on his shoulder. Her eyelashes were wet with tears and she was trying to bat away the remaining moisture from her vision.

"Simba."

"I know what I have to do," he said, never taking his eyes once off the sky. "I need to go back, but that means I'll have to face my past. And I've been running away from it for so long."

She flinched away suddenly as a stick came out of nowhere and struck him firmly on the head. As her son's paws flew up to his head where he had been hit, she looked behind him, smiling half in amusement and half in annoyance at the shaman who had just appeared. Simba looked around, spotted him and bared his teeth in anger towards Rafiki.

"Ow! Geez! What you'd do that for," he asked, rubbing the sour part on his head.

"It doesn't matter. It's in the past," the old mandril replied. Her jaw clenched as she attempted to stifle a giggle for her son's sake.

"Yeah, but it still hurts," he replied. He stared annoyedly at him before checking the paw on his head for any indication of the sour spot. He put beside his irritation though as Rafiki came close to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, yes the past can hurt, but the way I see you can either run from it or learn from it." The shaman took another swing towards her son's head, but missed as he ducked. Rafiki smiled victoriously sat him.

Ah, you see! So what are you going to do!"

"First, I'm gonna take your stick," he replied. He quickly grasped the thin staff between his teeth and quickly tossed it to the side before he began running. She watched as he went over to pick it back up before they turned towards her son's fleeing form.

"Hey! Where are you going," he called out to him.

"I'm going back," he yelled out from over his shoulder. She quickly shouted out to him before he came out of ear range.

"Son! What about-"

"I'll meet you there," he replied, never once breaking out of stride. She smiled at him while Rafiki enthusiastically cheered him on.

"I'm sure we will, son."

* * *

 **I'm sorry if I may have disappointed any of you with the little amount of interaction between Sarabi and Mufasa's ghost, but I felt as if this scene should've stayed directly with the conflict at hand. While I have no doubt that Mufasa could've stayed there longer if he wanted to, it would've been best for him to get the message straight across and stick with the biggest thing. However, seeing as he stared sadly at her and gave his son tough love and words of reassurance, I hardly think he was emotionless.**

 **In the end though, I think his appearance wasn't planned just by him, but the rest of the Great Kings of the Past and they wanted him to just get his point across as quickly as possible so it can be fixed as soon as possible. Having a longer, more emotional scene would've put off the problem for longer. This isn't Mufasa or any of the other Great Kings of the Past being insensitive to their family members and descendants, it's them being concerned for the bigger picture and figuring out the more efficient and fastest way to solve it.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and I'll see you again next time. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	4. Confrontation

**Chapter 4: Confrontation**

 **The moment you've been waiting for, the scene where Simba reunites with the rest of the pride and Scar. I will put a character-pain warning for readers here, since there is the fire scene and such. Nothing to extreme, just want you guys to have some idea of what you're getting into.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

"Sarafina!"

Across the wilted and dry landscape, the remaining creatures perked up to the sound of the scarred king. At the base of Pride Rock, the hyena pack watched as a lone lioness from the pride pressed forward through their numbers. Her cream-colored pelt was dirty and matted. Her form was weak and frail, and the effects of the famine shown throughout. As she walked through the snarling and snapping hyenas, she remained stoic and stared disdainfully upon them as she continued to make her way up to the promontory. Above her, dark clouds formed and spread across the great kopje.

"Yes, Scar," she rasped out once she came before him.

"Where is the hunting party," he asked. "As you well know, with your so-called friend and daughter abandoning the pride, you have received leadership over the hunting party and so far you have caught nothing. They're are not doing their jobs."

"Scar, there is no food," she replied as he paced before her. "The herds have moved on."

"No, you're just not looking hard enough," he barked back.

"It's over," she insisted, "there is nothing left." With a heavy sigh, she stood up straight and looked him directly in the eyes. "We have only one choice, we must leave Pride Rock." Her response was met with anger as he thrusted his head into her face, eyes filled with fury.

"We're not going anywhere!"

"Then you have sentenced us all to death," she angrily replied.

"Then so be it!"

"You can't do that," she growled back to him as he simply turned his back to her, ignoring her words and the furious expression she bore.

"I am the king. I can do whatever I want," he pridefully replied. She snarled and started to move towards him

"If you were half the king Mufasa wa-"

He swung around and thrusted his paw into her jawline, sending her flying back a few feet and landing on her side motionlessly on the hard stone.

"I'm ten times the king Mufasa was," he screamed back at her. He stared angrily at the still body, when his head turned to the side as a younger lioness climbed up and charged to her side.

"Mom," she called out, slipping her forelegs under her limp head and cradling it close to her chest. Scar stared shocked at her for a moment, before a growl came up from his throat and he furiously came closer.

"You," he roared out. "You little traitor. Abandoning your pride and leaving them all to suffer," he pointed towards her mother. "Leaving behind your own mother to die." Nala released a full-fledged snarl at him, showing off all her teeth before glaring enraged at him.

"You monster! No king would ever hurt their own pride, even if they were beneath them. You are no king, you are nothing but a," she spat out the word like it was burning poison on her tongue, "tyrant!"

Scar looked stunned at her, but it quickly became replaced with unbridled rage and he reared up and slammed his paws back down on the rock.

"You little- I am the king! And I will-"

His paw lifted up, ready to strike a blow on the young lioness, when a crack of lightning appeared and his eyes fell upon the ridge above where the silhouette to a familiar lion growled down at him, his voice echoing down towards them. He frightenedly retreated back, staring scared towards him as he came towards Naka and her mother's aid.

"Mufasa. No, you're dead."

Ignoring the words of his loathsome uncle, he kneeled close to Sarafina's head and turned to Nala. Nala looked worriedly back at him, shaking her head until they paused as a soft moan came up. Nala gently nuzzled her mother's face, causing a pair of mint-colored orbs to open and looked dazed up at her.

"N-Nala," she weakly asked. Her eyes the turned and saw the lion standing right by her and gasped.

"Mufasa?" He gave a small smile and shook his head.

"Simba," he replied. Another gasp escaped her throat as she stared in disbelief, first at him, then to her daughter.

"I found him, mom," she explained, "I found him and brought bacl here.

"But," she looked back towards him, "but how can that be? We all thought you were dead." He shook his head and began helping her back onto her feet, with Nala by her side.

"It doesn't matter now," he replied. "All that it matters now is that I'm home now."

"Simba?" He looked up from Sarafina and towards his uncle, still cowering next to the wall. As he began to see the differences, he began to feign surprise and joy. "Simba! Oh, I'm a little surprised to see you," he paused for a moment, glaring up at the hyenas before finishing venomously, "alive." As they retreated back, Simba got up and began slowly advancing towards him.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart."

"Oh, Simba, you must understand," Scar said as he began backing away, "the pressures of ruling a kingdom-"

"-are no longer yours," Simba finished. "Step down, Scar."

"Oh, oh, ye - Well, I would, heh, naturally, heh," he chuckled nervously, "however, there is one little problem. You see them?" Simba eyes traveled to where he was pointing. Hordes of hyena stared down, teeth shown in malicious, hungry grins. Simba looked down back and glared at him.

"They think I'm king."

"Well, we don't," came a voice from behind. Both pairs of eyes turned to see Nala with the rest of the lionesses. All of them glared at Scar while some went to help Sarabi up. "Simba is the rightful king."

"The choice is yours, Scar," Simba said as he turned back towards him. "Either step down or fight."

"Oh, must it all end in violence," he asked, beginning to move past him. "I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member. Wouldn't you agree, Simba?" A low growl escaped from Simba's throat as he glared at him.

"That's not gonna work, Scar. I've put it behind me." His voice was filled with determination.

"Eh, but what about your faithful subjects," he asked, voice growing stronger as he prodded the weak spot. "Have they put it behind them?" All of a sudden though, Nala stood straight before him.

"What happened in the past is in the past, Scar. Simba has put it behind him and so have we," she said. He frowned at her before glancing to the rest of the pride.

"Well, how about the rest of you? Have you all put it behind yourselves?" He could already see the confused expressions of many of the lioness' faces and he felt confident about it.

"Your highness," one of them asked, "what is he talking about?"

"Ahh, so you haven't told them your little secret," he said delightedly before turning back to Simba and walking around him. "Well, Simba, now's your chance to tell them. Tell them who is responsible for Mufasa's death!"

All eyes were on him now. They felt like little rocks pressing against him uncomfortably. Here he was, standing in front of everyone else, all waiting for him to deliver his answer. He looked towards Scar, then to the lionesses behind him. Sarabi and Nala were staring determined at him, silently cheering him on. The rest of the pride watched eagerly, but also with shock. With the little knowledge they had of the event, to finally hear it after all this time must be surprising to them.

In his heart, he could feel it beating. Beating under all this guilt, this pressure, this painful past. He desperately searched through his brain for the motivation and the memories to give him strength. Nala's relief of him returning to fix things. His mother's revelation about his past. His father's own words of courage.

He inhaled a deep breath, before planting his feet firmly on the ground and facing Scar directly.

"You are."

The shocked gasps of the lionesses sent relief washing through him. However, the same could not be said for Scar. His face suddenly turned to him in shock at the two words he spoke.

"What," he whispered. Feeling more strength to go forward, he did, advancing towards him like a slow-charging rhino.

"Yours Scar. I know what happened now," he explained. Scar began to back away frightened, all that previous smugness gone. "I know you set both me and my father up in the gorge. I know you're responsible for the stampede that took place."

They began coming out onto the promontory, Simba still approaching. They finally reached the edge, a high vertical drop. Here Scar stopped and tried to back away as much as he could from the silent, burning fury of his nephew. Simba finally came to a stop just mere inches before him and thrust his face into Scar's.

"I know you took his life away because I saw you did!"

All of a sudden, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, hitting the dry earth below and setting it on fire. Scar gasped as he realized the deadliness of his situation. Behind and below him was a dangerous fall and a raging fire. Right before him was the fire of years of pain and anger towards him in one lion and the rest of the pride standing right behind and beside him. At this moment, he realized just what all his years of lies, deceit, pride and anger had gotten him. Trapped.

Between the two, he stared at his nephew, now on the higher part of the rock.

"Simba, please have mercy. I beg you," he said, only to shrink back even more as Simba snarled at him.

"You don't deserve to live," he replied menacingly.

"But, Simba, I am... ah...," he stammered, "family. I-It's the hyenas who are the real enemy. It was their fault. It was their idea!" This just drew another enraged growl from him.

"Why should I believe you? Everything you ever told me was a lie." In a fit of desperation, Scar said the only thing that came to his mind.

"I have a family," he yelled, "I have a wife. A wife and mate. We have cubs. Three of them. Surely you wouldn't kill their father, would you?"

"You mean how you killed my father? How you stole away my mother's only family," he asked. Scar felt the last bit of hope for survival die with him. He knew he was beat. Still, he tried one last time for a plea for mercy.

"W-What are you going to do? You wouldn't kill your own uncle... would you?" The light of the fire below casted shadows across Simba's face, making him appear completely frightening His eyes were narrowed at him, holding nothing but hatred for him. The great lion paused for a moment, letting the suspension and fear build inside of him.

"No, Scar. I'm not like you." Scar released the breath he had been holding in.

"Oh, Simba, thank you. You are truly noble. I'll make it up to you, I promise," he said quickly as he stood up. "How can I, ah, prove myself to you? Tell me. I mean, anything." The prince narrowed his eyes at him, before replying in a grave voice.

"You have one last chance, Scar. Run. Run away and never return."

Scar looked stunned at him, then towards the pride behind him. Each was tense, ready to attack if he dare make any sudden movement. Further back, he caught sight of his own hyenas, each looking angrily at him. He realized his own words from earlier, trying to pin the blame on them for his actions. Everything was against him, the lions, the hyenas, even the world around him was against him. Here he was presented with one last chance for survival, to surrender himself and step down from the throne.

The throne he had worked so hard to get. The throne he had desired since he was a cub. The throne that was rightfully his, only to be taken from his less-deserving, older brother. He had worked so hard to get this, making plans for years to keep it securely under his paws. And now here it was being taken away from him. All at once.

By Mufasa's son. By Mufasa's own flesh and blood. Mufasa's own face.

A sudden surge of deep hatred and fury for everything Mufasa was and had boiled over. A deep roar escaped his throat, followed by an outstretched paw with sharpened claws. He swung right for Mufasa's son's face. His claws made contact right over his right eyelid. Simba roared in pain and backed a few feet away, his paw coming over his eye. Scar lunged for him.

The other remained frozen behind them both, including the hyenas. A part of them wanted to come in and help, but deep within the recesses of themselves they knew they mustn't intervene. This was a battle between two kings, only one could come out the victor. They would not and could not get involved with it.

Scar wrapped his forelegs around Simba's neck and bit it, trying to send him down. However, Simba rolled over and knocked him off before swatting him with his paw. His paws surged forward against Scar's chest, sending him backwards. The older lion recovered though and slashed his paw against the younger's shoulder, drawing a crying from him. Ge took another one at his muzzle and another at his shoulder again. As he tried for a third attempt at the face, Simba reared back and took a strong hit at Scar's head. Scar fell back a few feet, but managed to hand back a paw to his jawline.

Another paw swatted at him, sending the lion tumbling back towards the back of the promontory. Whilst he and the rest of the pride was distracted, he made a mad dash towards the the stairs. His main route down the rock was blocked, so he attempted to take a leap off the edge towards it. As he ran towards the edge however, Simba got up and barreled towards him, sending him off balance as he fell of Pride Rock. Scar felt nothing but air, the heat of the fire, fear go through him as he fell down several feet.

His front legs made contact with the stone stairs first. However, the height of the jump sent shock through his entire body. He heard a crack and pain shot up his left leg. The sound of his own heartbeat flooded his ears, drowning out the sounds of lions roaring and hyenas barking. His vision blacked out for a moment, yet he twisted himself around and bolted down the rest of the way.

His eyesight returned, only to see that his still-functional front leg had missed the last rock, sending him off balance and tumbling back of the way down. Extremely sour and dizzy, he desperately tried to correct himself.

He let out a pained roar as something latched onto his side and dug in deep. He tumbled to the side, falling closer and closer to the fire. He could tell he was near as the flames licked his fur, threatening to set him ablaze. Hot sparks flew up around him. He desperately searched around for an escape exit. He realized then that he was pressed against the base of Pride Rock, fire surrounding him.

He looked out into it, freezing in fear as the bodies of lionesses and hyenas surrounded him, each angered in some way or another. His eyes made out the figures of the three he was closest to, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed, each holding an expression of hatred towards him.

"M-my... friends," he tried to call out, knowing that it was futile even.

"Frie-he-hends? I thought he said we were the enemy," Shenzi said towards her companions.

"Yeah, that's what I heard too," Banzai replied. They then swung their heads towards towards him, eyes narrowed.

"You promised us food, yet we starved. You promised us a home, it is destroyed. You promised us power," she snarled at him, "you betrayed us."

"Yeah. Our pack has died serving you. You gave us nothing but empty promises and we all suffered for it," Banzai added. Both then turned towards the last one.

"Ed?"

The last hyena just began to laugh. The worst kind of laugh. His tongue moved across his lips as the thought of a real meal after so long came to mind. He and the others began advancing, followed by the other hyenas in the pack. He could see though the flames the silhouettes of the lionesses began to fade away, not wishing to witness his demise.

Upon the wall he was pressed up against, a shadow of a lion roaring in anguish, followed by the swarm of hyenas, danced about the rock before fading under the roar of flames.

* * *

"Simba, let me see your eye," Sarabi ordered, pressing close to him. The lion slowly began to uncover the right side of his face. A gasp moved through those who were there as the young lion's face appeared. It was not the sight of streams of blood falling down his cheek, but right over his closed left eye was a gash. A scar. Scar's very own.

He winced as another wave of pain came over him. Sarabi quickly placed down her paw on his leg and firmly pressed down, stopping him from playing it back up to his eye again. Her head then leaned in and her tongue came to his face. She began gently licking the side of his face, cleaning off the blood on it.

As his mother bathed him, a short, shaky chuckled escaped from his face.

"M-mom. You're... you're messing up my mane," he said. A symphony of giggles surrounded him, including from his mother.

The sound of footsteps nearby reached his ears and he swung his head over to the stairs. He squinted through his one, usable eye towards the rest of the lionesses coming up. They stopped before him as he shakily tried to get up to his feet. He stared at them. They each gave a nod.

A sudden rain had come down from the sky above, bringing forth certain for the first time in years. After years of drought, the whole world was being drenched with a glorious, heavy rain. The heavy raindrops quickly quenched the tongues of fire that licked up and devoured the dead life all around Pride Rock, burning away the last few remnants of Scar's rule, now reducing them to smouldering embers. Years of desolation, anguish, and loss fell away from the land, Pride Rock and its inhabitants.

The lionesses gathered closely around him. Sarabi gently pressed her head against his, mindful of his wound. The rain was already starting to clean it off. He smiled at her, before turning to the lioness beside him. Nala came in close and began nuzzling the left side of his face.

A rattle came from the side. All eyes turned towards Rafik, standing by on the platform before the promontory. His staff swung over and gestured to the the very tip. On unsteady legs, he walked towards him. The old shaman bowed his head towards the new king. He drew his paw over the old baboon's back and pulled him in close. Rafiki returned the hug before separating and looking proudly towards him.

"It is time." He smiled understandingly, knowing what it was he must do now. He turned around softly and all eyes stared fixed on him as he climbed up.

Steam billowed up in large columns beside and behind him as he took each soft, slow step up the stone. Raindrops slithered and fell down his mane, face and pelt in small streams. His face was determined as he fixated on his goal. His movements were as graceful, powerful and as strongly as his father did before him.

The rock was slippery underneath his paws, but each step was slow and steady as he came up. The rain had turned into small rivers, washing away the dirt, death and destruction it held in the past.

As he came to the tip, he stopped and stared up towards the sky. A patch of clear had broken forth, revealing the starry night sky that was so brilliant, crystal and transparent for the first time in years for the Pridelands. In the silent, he heard a strong voice come down from the heavens.

 _"Remember."_

In a brief second though, in the deep recesses of his heart, his mind, his very soul, he felt a strong power welling up. It grew stronger and stronger, keeping his mind clear, his heart pumping in deep beats, and his soul yearning to let something out. His lungs filled with the wet, clean air, chilly to the feel, but he was about to let it all out along with the power he held.

His chest threw forward, his head turned up to the night sky, his mouth opened and from his throat, coming from the deepest part of his being, came the loudest roar ever heard in years. It shattered the quiet, echoing out all across the land. A sound of kings.

The lionesses below him roared in unison, calling out in reply to their new king. He returned the call, growing louder and deeper by the second. The noise traveled through the land, down to the very last parts and borders of the Pridelands.

The king had returned.

* * *

 **Doing this chapter made me realize the significance of the entire climax and resolution. In the original, Simba fought through the fire and Scar. He had defeated him. When he came out of the steam towards the pride, they all knew he was victorious. Compared to the orginal, I realize the significance has gone down. Simba confronts Scar, he never released that fury out on him. The hyenas were the true victors against Scar. However, coming to realize that Scar might have changed up his manipulating tactics on Simba's morality, such as bring up Zira and the rest, I understand now why I shortened his fight with him.**

 **Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed it. Please leave a review, they are much appreciated. I have one last chapter planned after this, so stay tuned. Sincerely, v.t.7**


	5. Restoration

**Chapter 5: Restoration**

 **Here we are guys, the final chapter. Sorry it took awhile to get out here. We're going off the end of the movie, with some added scenes and a twist. Thank you all so much for reading my story, you guys rock.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

* * *

The rains had cleansed the Pridelands of all the pain and desolation of the past. After years of famine, the Pridelands had come back into its former glory. Grasses poked out of the earth, softening and brightening up the landscape. Previously thought to be dead trees now budded and broke out in all their greenery. The sky was no longer as grey as the earth and the sun shone bright once more.

However, some scars took longer to fade then others. The land surrounding the base of Pride Rock was hard and charred and it would take some time and help from outside sources to make the soil soft and fertile again. And from the dark ashes of the past a new bright future would come forward. Even now with the upcoming arrival of the next heir to the throne.

Scar's reign had also left its mark on the pride. Even with the reinstated land and the prey returning, years of famine had taken its toll on their bodies, making them weak. They two would require time to recover. However, not so much as a certain group of lionesses who had joined the pride during the previous reign. One of which was Scar's own mate, now left to care for his son and his two adopted children.

Simba walked down to the base of Pride Rock to where the group was staying. In his mouth he carried a freshly hunted antelope, courtesy of the hunting party. Previous kings' traditions stated that when a new lion or king came into the pride, they would get acquainted with the pride. The original lionesses of the pride he knew and thus could avoid this tradition with them, but with the newcomers he would have to be exceptionally civil and kind towards them, as they had suffered probably worse then any of the pride.

He came down to the bottom and took analysis of those who were there. Eight, perhaps nine lionesses were at the base. Instantly he could see they had come from much different lands, as they had much duller pelts, black and/or hooked noses, and deep, dark bags surrounding bloodshot eyes. Their pelts were scraggly and he could see ribs sticking out.

From what he had heard, they came from a land that had been destroyed, by who or what was unknown. Seeing their current states and the prospect of lioness with undying loyalty who would follow his every command more easily, Scar allowed them to join. Unfortunately, they soon realized that living in the Pridelands in its current state at the time was no better then being a wandering, rogue pride.

The sound of burnt earth tread underfoot alerted some of them to his presence. Most eyed him with suspicion or confusion while some appeared to cower in his presence. He stood before them, taking in their appearances for a second more before dropping the antelope and nodding towards them.

"I understand you haven't had a decent meal in quite some time. Here," he nudged it closer, "I had the hunting party catch it specifically for you."

Shock flashed through their faces. Many stared at the prey before them before alternating to Simba again, faces full of suspicion. Simba could feel the cautiousness and mistrust emanating from them. He simply stood there patiently, waiting for something to happen.

A young, grey lioness slowly crawled up. Her body was lowered to the ground, as if she was stalking something, but she had her face and eyes averted from Simba as she slowly crept closer. Her head began to loft up as she came close to the prey. As soon as she came close enough to take a bite, she froze and turned up to Simba, looking almost expectantly at him, as if she was waiting for his approval to eat. He sent a warm smile towards her and nodded.

She turned back to the antelope and hesitantly took a small nip at the shoulder, before quickly retreating her head back. Once she tasted the tiniest bit of flesh though, she again leaned her head in to take another bite. In no time at all, she was hunkered over the antelope, indulging herself in the meal.

Seeing that their companion was eating without interruption or fear, some of the others began slowly approaching as she had. Once they went past Simba, they lost their fear and began to join in on the feast. One lioness stopped before she joined and looked towards Simba. Her eyes scanned him up and down, before, to his joy, she gave him a small smile and went to eat. Simba almost melted in relief right there, seeing that his plan to make peace and friends with the newcomers wouldn't be so hard afterall.

Taking notice that the lioness he was specifically asked to look out for, he stepped forward towards the last lionesses coming to eat. She stopped and looked at him with a dull, confused expression.

"Excuse me, but do you know where I can find Zira and her cubs?"

She stiffened, and he was sure he saw a glimmer of fear for a moment in her face. However, taking note of her companions eating after trusting him first, she nodded and turned her head back towards the smooth, stone bottom of Pride Rock where he could see the shadowed figure of a lioness lying down. He turned back to her a nodded.

"Thank you," he replied. She gave a small nod before trotting over to her companions. Turning back to the silhouette, he took a deep breath and exhaled before slowly walking up to meet her.

As he came close, he noticed her head was bowed over her forelegs where two cubs peacefully slept. An older one, almost in his adolescence, was nestled up beside her. As his paws made contact with the cool, hard floor, his head looked up and he immediately shrank back at him. He quickly scurried back towards his mother's back and hid behind her. His mother didn't even acknowledged his presence.

"Zira," he called out once he was just a few feet away. She didn't respond but instead sighed. He could gets some of her features now. She was a medium tan in color with a darker stripe running down her forehead. Her muzzle, though bowed down, was angular. Another distinguishing feature he took of her was a notch in her left ear. A small layer of crusted blood surrounded the hole, indicating that it had been made only recently.

Seeing as she was making no reaction to him, he leaned his head down and tried to peer at the two cubs in her hold. He flinched back as her head flung up to look at him, her red eyes narrowed at him. Neither of them moved, just eying each other for the next reaction they might make. Seeing none from the other, she straightened up. He decided to take another chance and look at the two.

Both the cubs were asleep, nestled closely to each other He could make out the dark brown one as male while the girl was a dusty tan. His eyes moved up from Zira and down to them a few times, trying to find the resemblance between them while also trying to find Scar's comparison.

"They're not his."

His head flung up to meet her's again.

"What."

"They're adopted. Both of them. Vitani," she pointed to the sleeping girl, "and Scar's chosen heir, Kovu." Just then the older cub scrambled over his mother's back, stood beside his mother and adopted siblings and puffed out his chest proudly at Simba.

"Yeah, I'm mom's and dad's real son. Prince Nuka," he explained, seeming to forget his fear from earlier. Simba gave a small chuckle and patted him on the head, brushing his growing black tuft to the side.

"Well then, I suppose that makes us cousins." Nuka batted away the paw and stared confusedly up at him, before moving closer to his mother's side and laying against her.

"Why are you here, _your majesty_ ," Zira asked in a raspy voice, her words at the end being spat out like poison. He almost flinched in surprise at her raspy tone. Still, disrespectful or not, he would remain civil.

"I've come to offer you and your children a chance to remain in the pride."

Her eyes narrowed in confusion and her head twisted to the side to scan his face. Nuka, on the other paw looked both up at her and his mother with hopefulness.

"What's your plan?"

"My plan?"

"Your obvious plan to allow us to say here instead of being exiled or killed," she clarified. "Surely you can't be serious about letting the children of your 'evil uncle' be allowed to live amongst the pride, possibly growing up to be like their father and overthrowing you as he had first done towards your father. So I will ask you one more time," she leaned her nuzzle close and glared deeper at him, "what is your plan?"

"I want them to have a chance at a good life here."

She scoffed and turned to the side, clearly in disbelief. Nuka however, looked between the two in confusion, unsure what to think until he peered behind Simba and took notice of the large, huddled group of lionesses. He sniffed the air and the faint scent of fresh meat caused him to begin drooling and his stomach to growl.

"H-hey mom. I smell-"

"Go ahead, Nuka. The others will let you if you ask nicely," she replied, not even turning over to look at him. He brightened up and, abandoning all previous thoughts, began charging over to the lionesses for a piece of the meal. Simba smiled as he scampered before he turned back to Zira.

"He's quite the spirited cub," he said. Zira narrowed her eyes as he continued. "Listen Zira, I know you probably don't like me for what I did to Scar. Heck, I don't even like what I did to my uncle, but I do know it was the right thing to do."

He saw her turn away and he could see the skin on her cheeks beginning to pull back, revealing part of her teeth in an angered expression. He decided to quickly continue before something bad happened to him.

"Even now, had there been another way to let Scar live, I would have done it, but in the end it was he who doomed himself in the fire and the hyenas." He lowered himself down to look a her at her eye level. "Still, I can't help but feel responsible for letting his mate and cubs be without him. I feel like even though he did me wrong, I still owe him for this he left behind. And that's why I'm allowing you and your children to stay in the pride if you wish."

Both were silent. They looked at one another, anticipating anything coming out of their mouths. A light breeze came in and stirred up dust from the floor. Their eyes immediately fell to the cubs when a sneeze issued forth. The little brown male now was rubbing his note clear off any excess dust from it.

His eyelids sudden fluttered up. Clear emerald orbs stared out into the world. One at a time he looked up at his mother cradling him close, at his sleeping sister beside him, and then to the ruby eyes watching him. He nearly flinched back at sheer size of the face in which they were set in, but as a small toe extended towards him he lost all fear. He giggled as he tried to bat it.

"Fine then."

He retracted his paw away from Kovu and looked up at her, shock expressed clearly on his face.

"Wha-"

Zira's paw went down to gently pet her baby's head. Kovu leaned into the soft touch before another wave of tiredness came over him again and he went back to sleep beside Vitani.

"I wish to stay here with my children. To allow them to have the best life the could have."

Simba could barely hold the grin threatening to split his face. Still, knowing all the times his father kept composure, he tried his best to hold onto his.

"I'm glad you'll be staying with us. Ahem, welcome to the pride." She scoffed and turned away, but he swore he could see the slightest traces of amusement on her face. Just then, another guest came into the cave, followed by a few molted feathers.

"Sire. I'm sorry for disturbing you, but you're needed in the Pridelands," Zazu panted out. "The, um, others are waiting for you."

"Very well. I'll get right to it." He turned back to her and grinned sheepishly. She just shooed him away with one of her paws and began grooming her cubs.

On the way out he found that the carcass had been nearly devoured through. Some lionesses were busy licking the remainder off the vines while others chose the time to rest with their stomachs now full. He spotted Nuka finishing off a chunch and he smiled, knowing he had at least gotten some of the meal.

* * *

With the majordomo up ahead, he followed him out into the savanna. The grass was growing and was almost up to his stomach, though it would take quite awhile before it was up to full height again. He spotted several herd animals grazing and they nodded in respect when they saw him.

Eventually he came to a clearing where the earth was exposed to the world. Zazu flew down and perched on his shoulder before sweeping a wing towards a large weathered rock. Several hyenas from the fight, about a dozen, lay weakly by, near, or on it. They were thin and sickly looking with their exposed ribs, scraggy costs, and tired eyes.

He spotted the three he had met all those years ago in the Elephant Graveyard and headed towards them. The two males looked up fearfully at him when they spotted while the female just shakily got to her feet and straightened her posture.

The two stood before one another, neither one making a move. The rest of the pack hid behind the rock and peered over, waiting to see what would happen. Finally, he lost his stoic demeanor and gave a warm smile towards her.

"So, I understand you wish to remain in the Pridelands."

* * *

 **I've always had a soft spot for the hyenas in the film and series. I mean they lived horribly in the Elephant Graveyard at the beginning of the first film, were tricked into helping a tyrant who destroyed the land which made it even worse for them to live in, then they were exiled again and, as the series show, are still starving and living in poor conditions. If I had the choice in the film/series, I would allow them to stay, to finally live a prosperous life.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading my story. Thank you so much for sticking with me until the end. Please leave a review and feel free to check out some of my other stories. Sincerely, v.t.7**


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